To think the world is vicious and people are just awful sometimes?

[ByShyTaupeDeer]

I know there’s kindness out there but lately I keep seeing the worst sides of people: cruelty, selfishness, backstabbing, even indifference to others’ pain.

AIBU to feel like no matter how much you try to be decent, the world can be a really brutal place?

Absolutely OP. I sometimes regret bringing DD into such a cruel world!

I think that people have a far wider range of both cruelty and kindness than we dream of when we are young. We only see what we know.

People who've worked with refugees or in war zones or sometimes with dying people (seeing them and often the behaviour of the families) often have a much better idea of the range of human behaviour than people who have lives that are more stable and less challenged.

Sometimes people who've lived in unkind environments have just as little idea that generosity and decency can exist, as sheltered people can understand that casual and vicious cruelty exists.

Maybe you're just understanding more of what's going on around you, OP?

You have to remember that really only bad news makes news.

Day after day billions of people are living their lives being no harm to others and doing countless small acts of kindness. You'll never hear about all that.

Most humans are benign.

Yep, it’s nothing compared to what’s going on in the world but I’ve watched 3 baby seagulls that hatched on my flat roof go from fluffy chicks to their first flights earlier this week, one kept wandering down my driveway to the road, I shooed it back towards the house a couple of times but this morning it’s been squashed in the road, by the position of it some arsehole did it on purpose. It’s really upset me.

Honestly I’m currently recovering from a massive surgery and have seen the kindness in so many people. Lots of meals dropped off, people taking my kids out, flowers, hampers and lots of check ins. I’m overwhelmed with the amount of love and kindness I’m receiving. So I respectfully disagree

Could you try focusing on more positive stuff

You are very lucky. Not very many people have this.

YA NBU
However if you look at social media, be careful what you interact with as it’ll send more of the same your way and I can easily see how someone could become very depressed!

I am glad I got to experience life before the internet. The world is dire, people just don’t care anymore. I’ll be glad to get off when the time happens (not saying I want to go now!) but I certainly glad I won’t be around for whatever the not to distant future holds. I worry about DD so much.

Of course there are kind people out there, but I think there are less of them.

This is how I feel. I find people are surprisingly kind, friendly and helpful. I keep an eye on the news, usually once or twice a day, and I try not to let that noise get to me

It can be cruel (and that tends to be what we hear about most) but it is largely a wonderful place.